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Beastly Intel Core i9 14900KS consumes up to 432 watts of power but barely faster than vanilla i9 14900K in early benchmarks

The Intel i9-14900KS is expected to launch on 14th March, with a price tag of around $740. (Source: Pakhtunov via Overclock.net)
The Intel i9-14900KS is expected to launch on 14th March, with a price tag of around $740. (Source: Pakhtunov via Overclock.net)
The Intel i9-14900KS, slated for release on March 14th, offers high clock rates similar to its S-type predecessors. Benchmarks run by a user on an overclocking forum revealed that despite only marginal performance improvements over its standard version in benchmarks, power consumption peaked at a whopping 376 watts for Cinebench 2024 and up to a staggering 432 watts for the Y-cruncher benchmark.

The Intel i9-14900KS, set to release on March 14th, falls in line with Intel's "KS" processors, boasting similar core counts but higher clock speeds. On a popular forum Overclock.net, one author by the name of pakhtunov shared insights after delidding and benchmarking this chip, uncovering some surprising details

In Cinebench 2024 at stock clocks, it was observed that the i9-14900KS yielded nearly identical results to its standard version, except for its power consumption peaking at a whopping 376 watts, as compared to the vanilla i9-14900K's ~326 watts. For perspective, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D achieves almost 90% of the i9-14900K's score, while consuming only ~150 watts. During the Y-cruncher test, known for its increased power usage, the 14900KS reached a maximum power draw of an eye-watering 432 watts. The user utilised a Deepcool LS720SE 360 mm AIO cooler, noting temperatures peaking at 85°C during Cinebench and 89°C during Y-cruncher runs with the integrated heat spreader (IHS) and factory TIM. 

The Intel i9-14900KS with the IHS removed. (Source: Pakhtunov via Overclock.net)
The Intel i9-14900KS with the IHS removed. (Source: Pakhtunov via Overclock.net)
The user replaced the stock TIM with liquid metal. (Source: Pakhtunov via Overclock.net)
The user replaced the stock TIM with liquid metal. (Source: Pakhtunov via Overclock.net)

After delidding and applying liquid metal instead of the stock thermal interface material, there was a slight improvement in results. It's crucial to note that these tests were conducted with the IHS in place rather than utilizing direct die cooling techniques, which would've resulted in even better temps. Consequently, during Cinebench testing under this setup, temperatures did not exceed 75 degrees (a 10-degree decrease from previous readings), while Y-cruncher recorded a respectable 7-degree decline from before. Consequently, power draw figures also diminished, reducing by 10 watts in Cinebench and by a sizeable 23 watts in Y-cruncher.

Arriving on the 14th of March, the i9-14900KS is expected to command a price tag of around $740, similar to its predecessors. For comparision, the vanilla i9-14900K costs $649 while the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D costs $699.

Buy the 16-core Ryzen 9 7950X3D from Amazon

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2024 03 > Beastly Intel Core i9 14900KS consumes up to 432 watts of power but barely faster than vanilla i9 14900K in early benchmarks
Sambit Saha, 2024-03- 7 (Update: 2024-03- 9)